Roger Federer

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Lore & Background

For nearly two decades, Federer was a leading figure in men's tennis alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, collectively known as the Big Three. A Wimbledon junior champion in 1998 and former ball boy, Federer won his first major singles title at Wimbledon in 2003 at age 21. He won three of the four majors and the Tour Finals in 2004, 2006, and 2007, as well as five consecutive titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Federer completed the career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open after three consecutive runner-up finishes to Nadal. At age 27, he surpassed Pete Sampras's record of 14 major men's singles titles at Wimbledon in 2009. Federer and Stan Wawrinka led the Switzerland Davis Cup team to their first title in 2014, following their Olympic doubles gold victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won a silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics, finishing runner-up to Andy Murray. After a half-year hiatus in 2016 to recover from knee surgery, Federer returned to tennis, winning three more majors over the next two years, including the 2017 Australian Open over Nadal and a record eighth singles title at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships. At the 2018 Australian Open, Federer became the first man to win 20 major singles titles and shortly after the oldest ATP world No. 1 at the time, at age 36. In September 2022, he retired from professional tennis following an appearance at the Laver Cup.

In Their Own Story

The grass at Centre Court seemed to hum under the weight of history. The crowd held its breath as the Swiss Maestro stood at the baseline, racket poised with effortless grace. There was no grunt, no frantic sprint—just a fluid swing that sent the ball sailing past his opponent's reach. It was a moment frozen in time, where the rhythm of the match felt less like a contest and more like a dance.

Reader's Guide

A versatile all-court player, Federer's grace on the court made him popular among tennis fans. Originally lacking self-control as a junior, he transformed his on-court demeanor to become well-liked for his graciousness, winning a record 13 Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Awards and a record 19 consecutive ATP Fans' Favourite awards from 2003 to 2021. Federer was awarded the Laureus World Sports Sportsman of the Year a joint record five times and was twice named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2018. Outside of competition, Federer played an instrumental role in the creation of the Laver Cup team competition. He is also an active philanthropist, having established the Roger Federer Foundation, which targets impoverished children in southern Africa, and raising funds in part through the Match for Africa exhibition series. By the end of his career, Federer was listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes 12 times and ranked first among all athletes with $100 million in endorsement income in 2020. Boosted by his minority stake in Swiss shoe and apparel brand On, he became the seventh billionaire athlete in history in 2025. As of August 2026, Forbes estimates Federer's net worth at $1.1 billion.

Did You Know?

• Federer was born on 8 August 1981 in Basel, Switzerland.
• He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.
• Federer was a ball boy at his hometown Basel event, the Swiss Indoors, in 1992 and 1993.
• He won the Boys' singles and Boys' doubles titles at Wimbledon in 1998.
• Federer attained the No. 1 junior world ranking at the end of 1998.